The invention relates to staking tools, and more particularly to a universal tool capable of staking a plurality of different sizes of bearing to their supporting structure.
There are several long established methods for securing a bearing within its surrounding supporting housing. Of these, the staking or swaging method is one of the most common because the installation requires no added weight, and it is easy and simple to perform. Furthermore, this method enables the bearing to be repaired or replaced, and reinstalled in its supporting structure.
The method of staking generally consists of making a plurality of impressions in and around the housing close to the outer edge of the bearing positioned therein so as to force metal from the housing against the outer periphery of the bearing. The displaced metal secures the bearing within its housing without causing undue pressure in the bearing that may otherwise retard rotation. These impressions are equally spaced circumferentially around the bearing and can be made with ball points, sharp points or a cleat-shaped point.
Regardless of which staking method or impression point is used, it was heretofore customary in the art to provide a different staking tool for each different bearing size. Because the staking had to be accomplished accurately, i.e., approximately 1/32 inch from the outer periphery of the bearing to avoid subsequent failure, each tool was tailored to a corresponding bearing size.
Thus, each machine shop stocked a complete set of staking tools to accommodate each size bearing that was required to be installed.
In addition to the expense involved of providing duplicate components, it required more space to store the complete set, and the weight involved reduced portability. The loss of one of the staking tools in the set was an invitation to the mechanic to employ the old, presently unacceptable, methods of using a hammer and sharp instrument, such as a chisel, to make the indentations, which method lacks uniformity and frequently caused damage to the bearing, and eventual malfunctioning. Furthermore, such a method made it difficult to replace the bearing.
The staking tool of this invention is adjustable, so that one tool universally can accommodate a plurality of different sizes of bearings. The indentations made by the tool are oriented and set uniformly, and consistently accurately spaced the optimum distance from the outer bearing edge.